Supreme Court rejects Jaffna youth's FR petition

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 March 2007, 12:06 GMT]Sri Lanka's Supreme Court rejected Tuesday a fundamental rights application filed by a Jaffna Tamil youth who is currently being detained in Colombo magazine prison stating that the petitioner has failed to fulfil conditions needed to file such application, legal sources in Colombo said.

The FR application filed by 26 year-old R.Srikanthan of Kodikamam in Jaffna district came for inquiry Tuesday before a three-member bench of the Supreme Court chaired by Justice Nihal Jayasinghe. The other two members were Justices Raja Fernando and Andrew Somawanse.

The petitioner had stated in his application that he was arrested on August 26 at Kodikamam Sri Barathi Vidiyalayam by the security forces. Thereafter he was transferred to several detention centres and prisons and later handed over to the Terrorist Investigation Unit (TIU) of the Police in Colombo. Presently he is being detained in Colombo magazine prison.

He further stated in his application that he has been detained illegally and he had been subjected to severe torture after the arrest. He begged to court to declare that he had been illegally detained without any charge and to order one hundred thousand rupees as compensation from the state, sources said.

The petitioner had cited the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, Officer-in-Charge of the Kodikamam Police, Officer in Charge of the TIU, Inspector General of Police, Attorney General and soldiers who arrested him as respondents.

Counsel appeared in support of the FR application requested court to order the release of the petitioner or to allow him on bail, sources said.